The Benefits of Exercising While Studying

It’s a well known fact that regular exercise is good for you on so many levels. Not only can you see the physical benefits of exercise and keep in shape, but exercise can have many mental and emotional upsides. It really does have an influence on almost every aspect of your life.

If you’re looking to reach your maximum potential in your university degree – let’s face it, who isn’t? – then moving your body could be a game changer for you.

Here are just a few of the benefits of exercising while studying.

Increased Energy Levels

We don’t know if you’ve noticed but many university students suffer from fatigue and tiredness. Depending on the nature of your course structure, you might find that a lack of routine, a ton of parties, and late night study sessions all begin to take their toll.

If you want to get ahead with your studies, then you need to have enough energy to stay focused and motivated. One of the major benefits of exercising while studying is that staying active can increase your overall energy levels.

Your brain uses 20 percent of your body’s oxygen in order to perform basic functions. That percentage increases when you’re using mental power to study.

Exercise improves blood circulation, which in turn facilitates blood and oxygen flow to the brain.

Exercise also trains the heart to work more efficiently, and can even improve the quality of your sleep. Getting enough sleep is absolutely essential for our brains to function properly. Sleep increases our brain’s ‘plasticity’ (the connections between all the nerve cells in the brain). Plasticity influences learning and memory. If you’re not getting enough sleep, then there will be a negative impact on your academic performance. So exercising can be a great way to regulate your sleep pattern.

Just beware of doing intense exercise at night, as late night workouts might disturb your sleep pattern by overstimulating you. You might not fancy getting up early for a morning workout, but if you can learn to incorporate exercise into your routine, you’ll find that your mental and physical energy will increase.

Better Mental Health

Aside from increased energy levels, another of the benefits of exercising while studying is reduced stress levels and overall better mental health.

Research shows that physical activity influences brain chemicals and hormones, like serotonin and endorphins. Exercise improves mood and can combat depression and anxiety.

Endorphins kick in about twenty minutes after exercise has started, and can even act as natural pain relief. What’s more, the positive effects of physical activity can even ward off physical illness and raise your self-confidence.

These mood boosting benefits can help with focus and concentration, which can only be beneficial to studying, revision, exams, and practical tasks on placements.

Increased Focus and Better Memory

Studies have shown that intense exercise appears to increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for verbal memory and learning. As blood flows to the brain, the neurons fire up, promoting growth of brain cells.

There’s also evidence to suggest that aerobic exercise physically remodels the brain for peak performance.

Just twenty minutes of exercise before studying can have a positive impact on your brain function, helps you to focus better, sharpens your concentration, and can improve your memory.

So exercise is an all-rounder: it boosts your mood, energy, and performance.

Now we know that, here are some pointers for how to get started and how to start reaping the benefits of exercising while studying.

Workout Tips

To really get the most out of an exercise routine, balance is the key. You need to get in hours of aerobic exercise, to get your blood pumping and get oxygen circulating to the brain.

That could be anything from intense workouts, to walking, swimming, running, cycling, or a class at the gym. Studies show that in order to really see the benefits, you need to do around three hours of exercise a week.

That might sound like a lot, but if you break it down into half an hour a few days a week, or even ten minutes a day, exercise can be manageable and even enjoyable. As time goes on, you’ll get into a routine and find that you look forward to the endorphin rush and will be more inclined to get up and moving.

Novel offer student accommodation in Hackney for you and your friends, where there are some fantastic amenities, including our on-site gym, so living with us you don’t even have to go very far to get the benefits of exercising while studying.

Exercise can be something as simple as doing household chores, so keeping on top of studying your student flat can even help to get the blood pumping.

Cycling to uni or taking a lunchtime walk can be easy ways to ease exercise into your existing routine.

Having a goal to reach or taking part in a training challenge can also be an effective way to stay motivated – and don’t forget that shaking off the stress on the dancefloor at the weekend counts too! Exercise should be fun, so find something that you enjoy doing and you’ve already won half the battle.

Hopefully reading about the benefits of exercising while studying has inspired you to get moving. You really won’t regret it!